Junior long snapper Donnie Shields snaps the ball to sophomore punter Matt Haack in a home game against Weber State on Aug. 28. ASU won against Weber State 45-14. (Photo by Alexis Macklin)Valedictorian: Sophomore punter Matt Haack
In a game that was close until the very end, field position was of the utmost importance and Haack was key. Haack punted four times and averaged 43.2 yards per punt, keeping the Beavers at bay. While none of his punts landed inside the 20-yard line, that was more of the offense keeping him back and not his ability.
Other than two touchdown drives within seven minutes of each other, the ASU offense was handled by Oregon State, gaining just over 200 yards on all other drives. The team had three three-and-outs and another turnover on downs and only had four drives longer than four minutes. Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly took a step back from last week, completing just 50 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions along with his two touchdowns.
The unit turned out its worst outing by far since the 62-27 loss to UCLA in September. Oregon State had nearly 500 yards of offense, including 288 rushing yards. ASU allowed three touchdowns of over 60 yards, which is something that the Sun Devils were able to eliminate during their winning streak. Senior running back Terron Ward and junior running back Storm Woods were able to gash the ASU front all game long, allowing the Beavers to control the game from start to finish.
While Haack and Kelly punted to help control field position, the returners have yet to make a mark on any game this season. Redshirt senior Kyle Middlebrooks returned three kicks for a combined 36 yards, not helping the field position cause. The biggest play of the game was a missed field goal by sophomore kicker Zane Gonzalez, which would have put ASU up by 13 at halftime and given the Sun Devils some more momentum. Instead, the Beavers looked at it as a defensive stop and stole the momentum.
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @Tonis_The_Tiger
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